brachunky
Scotland
Posts: 1,315 
Club RR Member Number: 72
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Aug 12, 2022 16:13:01 GMT
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I order 99.9% of parts for my 92 Chevy from the States but increasingly see the "Made in China" mark on parts delivered from there. Now I understand about economics etc (don't get me started on quality issues) but on a practical side, many of our vehicles are becoming more reliant on these cheaply made far eastern parts. So whether we like it or not, we end up using them but what happens as the worlds relationship with China continues to sour? What if Chinese sanctions became an issue and where would it leave us all on parts availability on these older vehicles? Local car's may fare a bit better but "imports" as the yanks call them, may be another battle because lets face it, scrappy's aren't exactly full of American stuff over here in blighty. There's all sorts of issues out there such as the current shortage of lubricants (I'm sure you have seen the rocketing price of an oil change lately) www.metroshipping.co.uk/news/oil-supply-threat-to-road-freight/Now I have to admit to having a light interest in what's known as prepping but that's always been around the subject of the home. I have of late, started pondering about how do I ensure I can keep the household's wheels turning if all hell broke loose ( Don't be concerned, I'm not a nutter-yet!) Assuming you are content keeping the car's you have (I'd be happy with my XC70 & Chevy truck) what would you stock up on apart from fuel & lubes? I would assume bits like: Set of tyres Brake components Range of sensors Water pump & pipes One thing for sure, most of us would have to learn to be able to refit tyres to rims, recondition a battery, weld weld & weld    |
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Aug 12, 2022 20:14:44 GMT
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Thought provoking, and I hope we don’t see this spiral into chaos.
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Aug 12, 2022 20:24:10 GMT
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3D scanning, 3D printing and CNC machines are your answer to local supply issues for limited available parts.
The question becomes one of parts to scan or pre-existing models.
Rubber parts are more difficult I'd think, but given that I can still get a windscreen seal for a 1979 Datsun Sunny that no one in thebworld actually likes, I figure we're alright for the time being.
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Ryannn
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,421
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This is a problem in the mini scene as well. Parts from abroad just don’t seem to last as long as originals. In some cases this leads to quite dangerous issues with things like wheel bearings wearing out in a matter of months.
Thankfully people are finding more and more ways to refurbish original parts. It’s easier to swap a bearing in a water pump with a UK part for example if you still have the original casing.
Can’t be too much harder with yank stuff? The problem comes when you’ve already replaced too many parts and you can’t refurbish the cheap stuff! 😆
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brachunky
Scotland
Posts: 1,315
Club RR Member Number: 72
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Aug 13, 2022 10:25:04 GMT
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I think it's a bigger problem than we think tbh. One only has to do some research on the current financial situation in China to realize that as Hotwire points out, not right now, but in a couple of years time auto supply chains may be threatened quite a lot more. Also the knock on effects of China's policies on Taiwan who make 66% of the worlds chipsets iro newer cars.
I have a couple of 3d printers so that may help at some point!
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stealthstylz
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,837
Club RR Member Number: 174
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Aug 13, 2022 15:43:33 GMT
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Problem is it's not just curse word out of China, they flooded the market with really cheap curse word years ago and made a fortune, now they're still doing that, but have invested heavily in manufacturing machinery so they now produce good stuff for cheap too. I've been having short run/one off stuff made in China and it's getting better and better quality.
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,712
Club RR Member Number: 34
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Aug 13, 2022 16:12:23 GMT
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I think the idea China=sh1t is pretty last century.
Done anyone really believe it except Americans?
Most of the Chinese stuff I buy these days is better than the British/American/European made stuff.
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Aug 13, 2022 16:36:47 GMT
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I think China is more than capable of producing excellent quality stuff, and produce all sorts of stuff cheap.
I believe the problem is western firms ordering x amount of widgets from China for as cheap as possible to maximise profit. They could pay a few pence more per widget for better quality but won't, then said widget fails/doesn't quite fit/is just a bit curse word, we grumble about Chinese rubbish.
I'm sure they will make anything you want, at any price point. What that price point is is the issue.
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Aug 13, 2022 20:09:31 GMT
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I think the idea China=sh1t is pretty last century. Done anyone really believe it except Americans? Most of the Chinese stuff I buy these days is better than the British/American/European made stuff. They have their own space program. They are fully capable of producing high quality stuff. But if somebody comes in and asks for the cheapest possible low end garbage, they'll sell that too... ( and laugh all the way to the bank...) |
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Yep, same everywhere sadly. Things are built down to a price rather than up to a standard.
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Supply chain impacts are quite wide ranging, I'm finding lots of back order issues when chasing parts for the Chevrolet in particular. Combinations of manufacturing shutdowns & shipping are really biting hard and sanctions linked to territory conflicts will only leverage those issues further. Quality? Different issues, there is some really shoddy stuff coming out of LCE(Low cost economy) countries, but equally there is plenty of stuff which is integrated into new product which is as high end as is possible to find. A lot of that ties into how closely the importer works with the manufacturers quality inspection teams... left totally to their own devices and it can/does slip but retain a close working relationship and standards remain high. On the automotive side there's always been issues linked to 'pattern' parts going back to the 70/80s(when even OE could be pretty iffy😬)... Example my Chevy lock not retracting fully with the key inserted...cheap lock $10/15 plus shiping, not worth the hassle of claiming so modified to suit😬  |
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2014 - Audi A6 Avant 3.0Tdi Quattro
1958 - Chevrolet Apache Panel Truck
1959 - Plymouth Custom Suburban
1952 - Chevrolet 2dr Hardtop
1985 - Ford Econoline E350 Quadravan
2009 - Ovlov V70 2.5T
1970 - Cortina Mk2 Estate
2007 - Fiat Ducato LWB 120Multijet
2014 - Honda Civic 2.2 CTDi ES
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Ryannn
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,421
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I think the idea China=sh1t is pretty last century. Done anyone really believe it except Americans? Most of the Chinese stuff I buy these days is better than the British/American/European made stuff. I get cast iron water pumps refurbished at a place in the midlands. The MG owners club tried to save a few quid by buying a job lot of alloy ones from China. The bearing in them was so poor (rough, out of alignment) that they took them to the same place and he had to replace the bearings in brand new water pumps. Loads of mini suppliers got a dodgy batch of heater taps from China. They would literally explode without warning. Most decent suppliers, minispares etc, sent them back. But some kept hold of them and are still selling them on the market. So yeah, it’s still a thing. As other people have said though, the problem is that there’s a market for cheap stuff. |
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Last Edit: Aug 14, 2022 8:23:58 GMT by Ryannn
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brachunky
Scotland
Posts: 1,315
Club RR Member Number: 72
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They have their own space program. They are fully capable of producing high quality stuff. But if somebody comes in and asks for the cheapest possible low end garbage, they'll sell that too... ( and laugh all the way to the bank...) I follow a South African guy on YouTube who lived in China for quite a long time and posts a lot of interesting insight into China and the CCP. Although the space program is real, the linked video also shows the other side of China's need to show the world it's "successes" The primary reason for the thread is the potential knock on effect on our hobby if the supply of goods got into a really bad state. Yes quality is not always bad but it's still a gamble as to when it reaches your postbox and being fit for purpose! |
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